Amazon’s Prime Day has returned for its fall edition, and the Amazon Alexa-powered devices are already on sale. But are the sales actually any good?
There’s already the question of whether you want Alexa in your house, and now it’s a question of whether the sales are more of a mind game than a real discount. That’s thanks to Amazon raising prices across its device categories at the end of August, leaving us with the same product lineup but a worse case to recommend it. Some devices are already on sale right now ahead of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days for $40 off, but went up in price by $20 just a few weeks ago, cutting that discount into something that feels barely worth the spend.
If you’re interested in Amazon’s device sales but want the real picture of what the discount is and which devices are worth it, I’ve got you covered. I’ve been testing Amazon Alexa speakers since they launched in 2012, and I am also WIRED’s resident Kindle tester, which gives me almost too much insight into the price games Amazon plays with these devices. Here’s my full breakdown.
Which Amazon Devices Are on Sale Already, and Which Aren’t
Right now, Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo speakers and Fire TV sticks are currently on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days next week (October 6-7). These devices saw price hikes at the end of August, so some of the deals aren’t as good as in the past. They do seem to be permanent price changes, though, so if you’re certain you want one of these models, this is the best time to buy.
So far, most Kindles aren’t on sale yet, but all three Kindle Kids models (the Kindle Kids, the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, and Kindle Colorsoft Kids) are already on sale. (Amazon also announced new versions of these Kindles today, along with the rest of its lineup, so it’s up to you whether you want the current on-sale model or to preorder the new one!) If you’re looking for a Paperwhite and Scribe, they aren’t on sale yet as of this writing. Neither are Eero routers.
But I expect most of those models will be discounted once the event begins. Both Kindle and Eero products also saw price hikes at the end of August, so I recommend buying them only on sale (even if the sales aren’t as good as they used to be, since they’re similar discounts but on higher prices).
The Best Early Amazon Device Deals
Not all deals are great, especially given the recent price increases. If you’re set on getting a new Amazon Alexa-powered speaker, though, here are the discounts (and devices themselves!) that are still worth it.
The Amazon Ember Artline TV is another rare device from Amazon that didn’t see a price hike at the end of August, maintaining the $1,099 price it had at launch (and now has a $300 discount off that). It’s a well-priced art television that is more accessible than its more expensive competitors, and comes with handy features like built-in Alexa+. I’m usually not a fan of the Fire TV devices, but this one keeps catching my eye and is already on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
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The Amazon Ember Artline TV is another rare device from Amazon that didn’t see a price hike at the end of August, maintaining the $1,099 price it had at launch (and now has a $300 discount off that). It’s a well-priced art television that is more accessible than its more expensive competitors, and comes with handy features like built-in Alexa+. I’m usually not a fan of the Fire TV devices, but this one keeps catching my eye and is already on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
The Best Early Kindle Deals
If you’re shopping for a Kindle, this is the best time to buy since most were hit with price increases. You won’t get as good a deal anymore, but it’s much better to buy it at a discount on the new price than the full, higher price for the same product. There’s also new Kindles that were just announced, so it’s up to you if you want to grab an older on-sale model (which all work great!) or wait for the new one.
As of this writing, only Kindle Kids models are on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, but only one is a good deal after taking the price changes into account.
I think kids and kids’ books have a much better chance of taking advantage of the color screen than adults, which is why I love the Kindle Colorsoft Kids if you’re shopping for a young reader. It also comes with a full year of Kids+ content—more than any other Kids model—and the color covers are beautiful. It has a good discount, even though the price did increase by $30 at the end of August.
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
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Photograph: Nena Farrell
I think kids and kids’ books have a much better chance of taking advantage of the color screen than adults, which is why I love the Kindle Colorsoft Kids if you’re shopping for a young reader. It also comes with a full year of Kids+ content—more than any other Kids model—and the color covers are beautiful. It has a good discount, even though the price did increase by $30 at the end of August.
Other On-Sale Amazon Devices We’ve Tested
Looking for a different device during Amazon’s sale event? We’ve tested several other Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices that are also on sale right now. Here’s what else you can consider, and what the discount looks like.
- Amazon Echo Dot Max for $80 ($40 Off): If you’re looking for a small speaker with bigger sound than the older Echo Dot, the Echo Dot Max has impressive sound for its size, plus a built-in smart home hub. Its price did increase $20, though, so it feels like it’s just $20 off even if it looks like $40.
- Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen) for $125 ($75 Off): While this model is on sale, I prefer the older Echo Show 8 (though it seems rarely available anymore) and the Echo Show 11 since both have better sound. It’s a good discount, even off the original $180 price tag, but I’d just spend $25 more and get the better Echo Show 11 if you’re set on a new Amazon Alexa-powered smart display.
- Amazon Echo Show 15 for $250 ($100 Off): The Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 21 are on sale and both double as a Fire TV device, with a massive screen, a flat back for mounting, and an included Alexa Voice Remote. I don’t love the TV experience, but it works, and the homepage fits a ton of widgets if you want to see multiple at once. Both sizes are discounted, but both models also cost more now, so it’s not as good as you’d think for the same device.
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $45 ($40 Off): If you love Amazon Prime as your streaming service, this is the favorite we’ve tested of Amazon’s Fire TV streaming devices. It’s not a crazy discount since it went up $25 in August, but it’s still a really affordable streaming stick during this same event.
- Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids for $170 ($60 Off): The Paperwhite Kids has everything we like about a Kindle Paperwhite, but adds a cover to protect it from any drops by your kiddo’s hands and comes with six months of Kids+ content, which is like Kindle Unlimited but designed for kids. It’s a good device, but the discount isn’t as good as before; it used to retail for $180, so it’s really only $10 off what it used to cost. But you won’t find it new for cheaper.
- Amazon Kindle Kids for $123 ($57 Off): This is the cheapest Kindle Kids device, with a 6-inch screen similar to the cheapest Kindle, and it still comes with a colorful cover and six months of Kids+ content like the Paperwhite Kids above. It has the smallest discount out of the Kids devices, and it used to retail for $130, so it’s only $7 off the original price. The other Kids models are a better buy.
Which Amazon Device Prices Went Up?
Amazon raised prices across several of its device categories at the end of August. It’s not a shocking move, but it hit many affordable products and makes for a worse sale season since we’re getting discounts on a higher price tag for no other improvements. Here’s a quick breakdown of most of the price changes to help you navigate what sales are good and which are really just bringing you back to the old price.
Either way, I’d only buy an Amazon device on sale now, but it is unfortunate the sales just won’t be as good anymore on these existing devices. I expect most, if not all, of these devices to go on sale at some point during Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
The Amazon Echo smart speaker price changes were:
- Echo Dot (5th Gen): $80 (up $30)
- Echo Spot (2nd Gen): $110 (up $30)
- Echo Dot Max: $120 (up $20)
- Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen): $100 (up $10)
- Echo Show 8 (4th Gen): $200 (up $20)
- Echo Show 11: $250 (up $30)
- Echo Show 15: $350 (up $50)
- Echo Show 21: $500 (up $100)
The Amazon Kindle e-reader price changes were:
- Amazon Kindle (2024, 11th Gen): $150 (up $40)
- Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Gen): $200 (up $40)
- Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature (2024, 12th Gen): $250 (up $50)
- Amazon Kindle Colorsoft: $290 (up $40)
- Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature: $320 (up $40)
- Amazon Kindle Kids (2024, 2nd Gen): $180 (up $50)
- Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Kids: $300 (up $30)
The Amazon Eero mesh Wi-Fi routers we recommend saw price changes of:
- Amazon Eero 7: $400 (up $50)
- Amazon Eero 7 Pro: $800 (up $100)
And finally, the changes to Fire TV devices we recommend were:
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max: $85 (up $25)
- Fire TV Stick HD: $40 (up $5)
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: wired.com















